In an address to her followers, Mary Baker Eddy said:
Beloved children, the world has need of you, — and more as children than as men and women: it needs your innocence, unselfishness, faithful affection, uncontaminated lives. You need also to watch, and pray that you preserve these virtues unstained, and lose them not through contact with the world. What grander ambition is there than to maintain in yourselves what Jesus loved, and to know that your example, more than words, makes morals for mankind!
Miscellaneous Writings, p. 110
“Contact with the world,” is not something we can avoid if we are to be a functioning citizen. But we can maintain our virtues as we circulate with others.
We can stay spiritually clear that a negative thought coming at us cannot darken our light and make our thought negative. An angry outburst cannot prevent us from responding with love and dominion. Good has power over evil. Right has power over wrong.
Stick with the good, side with the right, and maintain healthy virtues wherever you happen to be. It’s doable!
Think of the spiritual poise Mary Baker Eddy expressed
in facing a world of doubters, the press, the …world!
Humbling…
Thank you, Evan, for your excellent example of firmness and constancy in your trust in God, infinite Good!
The phrase that resonated from this lift was “make morals for mankind..”. Through moral relativism mankind struggles to find paths to health, happiness, or success with very little to guide them in terms of a moral compass.. The latest “ism”, or diet fad often proves to be in vain.
So it puts the idea “your example more than words.”, into a clearer context. We need to express and live the Christ ideal no matter what anybody else is saying or doing. Why? Because the world needs to witness the Christ ideal in action today now more than ever. So let us love because we know God first loved us.
Thanks Evan for today’s Spirit View.
It is becoming clearer to me that by following and practicing the “A Rule for Motives and Acts” from The Mother Church bylaws says it all and our practice in obeying that bylaw gives us the strength to move forward and bless mankind. every day in every way. It should be our daily prayer before we take on the tasks for the day.
All I can say is wow – Jon, I love this: “Because the world needs to witness the Christ ideal in action today now more than ever”. Not particularly articulate, the word wow, but this struck me like a sledgehammer.
Thank you Evan, Jon and the Spiritview family!
This reminds me of something, my Christian Science teacher once said something to the effect of “the challenge is, is to live in this world, but not be mesmerized by it.“
Thank you, Evan, for this reminder
Vienna, your post reminds me of a saying which most Christian Scientists probably
have heard – “Don’t be SO spiritual-minded that you are no earthly good”.
We presently seem to live in this world, but we know that we not OF this world, and so we
endeavor to shine out the spiritual truths which heal and bless mankind.
Yes, I have heard that too and lately I’ve reversed that and think “BE so heavenly minded that we ARE earthly good.“ In other words be so heavenly minded that like Jesus and Mrs. Eddy that healing follows wherever we go because thought is so spiritualized that’s all we see. And, like Jesus who beheld the perfect man this brings healing to others and the world.
That is a lovely rearranging of the words, and moe positive. Thank you for
that illumination. Maybe it will also help Rose, from New york, who has
posted below.
Hi Maggie, that quote is interesting. Could you explain more about what you think it means, to not be so spiritual-minded that you are no earthly good. Or if anyone else has thoughts on this, thanks.
Maybe it means we shouldn’t, in our quest to see everything spiritually, forget to first acknowledge and have compassion for the seeming pain, distress and challenging life conditions of people everywhere. But I think that most CS’s are extremely compassionate to suffering and seek only to eradicate it through love and spiritual mindedness.
Hi Rose, To me it means that if we become too spiritually minded, we may not see the problems that need to be addressed in he earthly conditions that
seem to assail man. We need to be as spiritually-minded as Jesus was, that enables us to be aware of where help is needed. Does that make sense?
To me, dear Rose, I Think it Might mean, not to have our heads
so high in the clouds, that we do not think of our fellow human
or even animal beings, who may be struggling.. or that we are
“above” others.
In other words, to not think we are better than anyone else ..
because we are all equal in God’s eyes. No one is superior.
No one is inferior. We all are reflections of the One Soul, Spirit,
Life, Truth, Principle, Mind and Love and all express these divine
ideas in “reality”. If some are “spiritually -minded” or even of a
different supposed social hierarchy, sometimes some may think
they are “better” than others, because of mortal status or perhaps
spiritual or otherwise, prowess, but we are all really equal in the
divine realm of everything, no matter who we are. imho anyway..
the way I interpret it.
Thank you very much Carol and Maggie, what you say does make sense. I guess it is an art we can develop, understanding the fine line between, on the one hand feeling spiritually beyond or removed from the difficulties of our fellow beings, and on the other hand getting pulled down into the pit of material mindedness. That happy medium where we can be compassionate and helpful to our fellows and still view everything through our inherent spiritual sense.
Thank you, Evan, for this beautiful reminder. ” [the world] needs your innocence, unselfishness, faithful affection, uncontaminated lives.” The word “your” tells me that these beautiful qualities are already innate in each of us! This week, a lovely woman [her name is Charity] came to our church garden with a 1-year old boy in a stroller. She said the baby loves to come and watch the fountain, the birds, and the traffic going by. This little boy expressed such innocence, joy, love, curiosity, alertness, Those qualities were just shining from him! And it made me want to be near him and participate in that innocence and joy. Those lovely qualities are so attractive; everyone wants to be around such an atmosphere. That’s what the world needs, and we can “maintain in [ourselves] what Jesus loved, and to know that [our] example, more than words, makes morals for mankind! [Morals-Conduct; behavior; course of life, in regard to good and evil. Webster’s 1828 Dictionary]
I rarely comment, but this post is a keeper, and I plan to share it. thank you all so much!
Today’s topic reminds me of what Mrs. Eddy has written, “Willingness to become as
a little child and to leave the old for the new, renders thought receptive of advanced
idea … The purification of sense and self is a proof of progress. ‘Blessed are the pure
in heart: for they shall see God.'” S &H pg.323 and along those lines .. on pg.322,
“The sharp experiences of belief in the supposititious life of matter, as well as our
disappointments and ceaseless woes, turn us like tired children to the arms of divine
Love.” Children are receptive to a world where goodness and happiness prevail and
are naturally inclined to be innocent in thought and action, where good is more real
and powerful then evil … Oh, to become as a little child in this sweet acceptance of
God’s pure Love. A lovely goal and purpose.
Good point you made Jenny, that those qualities are already part of us, built in by God. We don’t have to believe we must struggle to become innocent, pure, unselfish etc, more of recognizing what we really are and uncovering these qualities if they seem to be missing.
We had a great article from Milton Simon shared the other day (10/15) by diane w.a. called “Which One?” (thank you Diane!). I looked for more from Simon and I found the below. I don’t have the fully readable link (maybe someone can share), but in just the first couple paragraphs that were visible I loved this:
“….a wrong thought is not equal in power to a right one….I saw that erroneous thoughts are really not part of man’s consciousness. They do not contain one iota of reality, but spiritual thoughts are real and substantial…..[I] have realized that one right, spiritual thought will rout a thousand wrong, material ones.” (Rout means to defeat and cause to retreat.) –From CS Journal June 1967 “What You Think Counts.”
This one should open Rose! Hope it works for you
https://sentinel.christianscience.com/shared/view/2f4d4vqslsi?s=copylink
Whoops! Here’s the link to “ What you think counts” I Milton Simon.
https://journal.christianscience.com/shared/view/1b20joxxv92?s=copylink
This link works, thank you very muchh DKM. And the first link you posted is for the other Milton Simon article, “Which One?.” Both are excellent.
It means that “Christian Scientists tend to have
their heads (thoughts) in the clouds while their bodies are filled with bullets. This is a paraphrase from our dear leader, Mrs. Eddy.
I love this! Mary Baker Eddy had such insight into what is needed for this world – as much then as now.
“Beloved children, the world has need of you, — and more as children than as men and women: it needs your innocence, unselfishness, faithful affection, uncontaminated lives. You need also to watch, and pray that you preserve these virtues unstained, and lose them not through contact with the world. What grander ambition is there than to maintain in yourselves what Jesus loved, and to know that your example, more than words, makes morals for mankind!”
Miscellaneous Writings, p. 110
In today’s language she is talking about having boundaries and keeping them. When you are in “contact with the world” you run into a lot of different perspectives on how to live and what is considered “right” or “acceptable”. Some would suggest to women that they be silent and accept the world’s “standard” but Mary Baker Eddy didn’t do that. She held to God’s standard and was an excellent example and because of that she changed the world. There are others as well – some known and many not known that do the same thing. They raise the standard of humanity just by living their lives.
A timely reminder. Thank you!
Thank you, Evan.